Seal for automobile license plates



Feb. 13, 1934. M. R. PHINNEY SEAL FOR AUTOMOBILE LICENSE PLATES Filed July 18, 1933 Invenfor:

M QL WJvMY 55 tively. The device 12 comprises a pair of coopthe device may be subjected. Consequently, the 110 STATES PATENT OFFICE SEAL FOR AUTOMOBILE LICENSE PLATES Maurice R. Phinney, Hyannis, Mass, asslgnor to Numpad Incorporated, Hyannis, Mass, a. corporation of Massachusetts 7 7 Application July 18, 1933. Serial No.- 680,935 4 Claims. (Cl. 40-125) Every owner of a motor vehicle is required crating washer-like members and 16 which to register. the vehicle in a prescribed manner -may be of any suitable material, such as steel. and is supplied with official number plates which The member 15 is provided with a sleeve-like eX- must be attached to the vehicle and identify that tension or body portion 1'7 extending from the in- 5 particular vehicle. In all instances, a prescribed ner i'ace thereof. The outer faces of the members n;

registration fee is required. Before the registra- 15 and 16 are provided with recesses 18 and 19, re-

tion can be obtained in many states the owner spectively. Member 16 is provided withapassage of the vehicle must obtain insurance to comto receive the body portion 17 of the member 15.

pensate for possible injury to persons that may The members 15 and 16 are held upon opposite be caused by the vehicle while being driven on sides of the number plate 10 by the cooperating the highway. Because of the expense involved disks 23 and 24 which are adapted to lit in the by complying with these requirements many unrecesses 18 and 19 respectively and, preferably, scrupulous people often attempt to transfer the are made from a soft material capable of receivregistration number plates from a registered veing the impression of an official seal as illustrated.

h cle to one which has not been registered. The disks 23 and 24 may be soft metal, such as 7 It is the object of the present invention to prolead or brass. The disk 23 is provided with a rodvide a device for attaching registration number like extension or body portion 25 extending thereplates to vehicles which is adapted to receive an from and adapted to be inserted through a pasimpression of an official seal and which cannot sage 26 in the member 15. The disk 24 is probe removed except by destroying the device or vided with a passage 28 having an outwardly breaking the seal. tapered portion 29 adjacent the outer face of the The invention will be more clearly understood disk. A tab 30 of sheet metal may be positioned from the following description in conjunction adjacent the inner face of one of the members with the accompanying drawing: in which, 15 and 16 and is provided with inturned cars 31 1 is a fra mentary vi w f a n m r plate adapted to engage one edge of the slot 13. If a a d t a vehicle y a d v m dying the desired, the tab 30 may be welded to the inner invention; face of one of the members 15 and 16. The tab Fig. 2 is a sectional view taken upon the line may bear the name of the state in which the of vehicle is registered and the date.

30 3 is a detail V w of the attaching devic In attaching the number plate 16 to the outer with its various parts in position to be assembled face of the bracket 11 the slot 13 in the former together; is placed opposite the slot 14 in the latter. The

Fi 4 is a d i vi w of h achi d v as body portion 17 of the member 15 is then inserted vi wed from th i ht f Fig. 2; and through the slots 13 and 14 from the outer face 5 i a w Similar to g. 2 showing the of the number plate. The member 16 is then p assembled but t cl mped together. fitted upon the body portion 1'? so as to engage Befo e explaining in detail h pres nt i snugly the inner surface of the bracket 11. The

n it is t be nd ood that the invention is disk 24 is then placed in the recess 19 in the memn limi n i pp ic n to he t ils f her 16 and. the rod-like extension 25 of the disk construction and arrangement of parts illustrated 23 is inserted through the passage 26 of the memn h a p yin win si th i v n i n ber 15 so that the disk 23 will be positioned in S C pa e of Other embOdimeIltS a d of being the recess 18 and the end of the member 25 will practiced or carried out in va ous Ways. Also it extend slightly beyond the outer face of the disk is to be understood that the phraseology or ter 24, as shown in Fig, 5. The end of the member 45 i l sy mpl y her in is for the purpose of 25 is then spread out so as to fill the tapered description and not of limitation, and it is not passage 29 in the disk 24, as shown in Fig. 2, and i; tended to limit the invention claimed herein thus securely unite the parts so as to clamp the beyond the requirements of the prior art. members 15 and 16 upon opposite sides of the In the accompanying drawing, a registration number plate 10 and bracket 11. An impression number plate 10 is shown attached to a bracket of an ofiicial seal is made upon the outer faces of 1195 11 forming part of the vehicle (not shown) by an the disks 23 and 24. It will be noted that inashttachihg device 12 embodying t inventio much as the body portion 1'7 of the member 15 and which is inserted through the slots 13 and serves asabearing for the member 16, these mem- 14 in the number plate 10 and bracket 11, respecbers receive substantially all the strain to which disks 23 and 24 and their connecting member 25 may be of relatively soft material having a low shearing and tensile strength and one upon which an impression of an oiiicial seal may be easily made.

I claim:

1. A device for preventing unauthorized attachment or removal of registration number plates for vehicles comprising hollow members between which a number plate is clamped, one of said members having a body portion insertable through the openings in the number plate and a bracket carried by the vehicle, said body portion being adapted to receive and serve as a bearing for the other member, each ofsaid members having a recess in its outer face, and means for tying said members together including disk-like members adapted to fit in the recesses of said members and receive the impression of a sealand having a connection through said members.

2. A device for preventing unauthorized attachment or removal of registration number plates for vehicles comprising hollow members between which a number plate is clamped, one of said members having a bodyv portion insertable through the openings in the number plate and a bracket carried by the vehicle, said body portion being adapted to receive and serve as a bearing for the other member, each of said members having a recess in its outer face, and soft metal disks adapted to fit in the recesses in said members and receive the impression of a seal, one of said disks having a passage tapered outwardly at its outer end, the other of said disks having a body portion adapted to extend'through said members andsaid passage and be spread into the tapered portion of said passage.

3. A device for preventing unauthorized attachment or removal of registration number plates for vehicles comprising hollow members between which a number plate is clamped, one of said members having a body portion insertable through the openings in the number plate and a bracket carried by the vehicle, said body portion being adapted to receive and serve as a bearing for the other member, each of said members having a recess in its outer face, soft metal disks adapted to fit in the recesses in said members and receive the impression of a seal, one of said disks having a passage tapered outwardly at its outer end, the

other of said disks having a body portion adapted to extend through said members and said passage and be spread into the tapered portion of said passage, and a tab positioned adjacent the inner face of one of said members. I

4. A device for preventing unauthorized attachment or removal of registration number plates for vehicles comprising hollow members between which a number plate is clamped, one of said members having a body portion insertable through the openings in the number plate and a bracket carried by the vehicle, said body portion being adapted to receive and serve as a bearing for the other member, each of said members having a recess in its outer face, soft metal disks adapted to fit in the recesses in said members and receive the impression of a seal, one of said disks having a passage tapered outwardly at its outer end, the other of said disks having a body portion adapted to extend through said members and said passage and be spread into the tapered portion of said passage, and a tab secured to the inner face of one of said members and having an inturned ear adapted to engage one edge of the opening in the-number plate.

MAURICE R. PHINNEY. 

